Amazon to adapt Lord of the Rings for TV, but there's a twist

Elijah Wood played Frodo in 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

Get ready to return to Mordor. Lord of the Rings is coming back.

Amazon announced Monday that it has procured the rights to broadcast a new Lord of the Rings TV series, which is based on the best-selling novels by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The retail giant said it plans a multiple-season arc for the show.

The series will likely explore new stories from the LOTR world and serve as prequel to Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring" and its sequels.

The deal also includes a spinoff series.

“The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, Amazon's new head of scripted television series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.”

Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins, told The Hollywood Reporter the team is excited to have Amazon working on the series.

"We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings," he said. “Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings.”

New Line Cinema and director Peter Jackson adapted the franchise in the early 2000s, earning $6 billion worldwide. The Oscar-winning movie franchise had a star-filled cast, including Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler.